Sunday, 2 August 2015

In 2013 we had comet ISON which put on a
splendid display in the winter sky travelling along it's celestial
path. ISON then embarked on a perilous journey towards the center of our
solar system. ISON came to perihelion on 28 November of that year and
broke apart due to the Sun's immense heat and tidal forces. That was the
last we seen of this Christmas comet.

In the autumn of 2013 as comet ISON was putting on a display for
amateur astronomers in the northern hemisphere, and the media were
gearing up in preparation for a spectacular view of the comet in the
first days of December, astronomer R. A. Kowalski identified a new
comet; C/2013 US10 from images using a 0.68-meter (27 in)
Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope of the Catalina Sky Survey.
C/2013
US10 Catalina was then at Mag +19 and very faint. It is a long period
comet originating from the region of the Oort's Cloud with an orbital
period of 7 million years. The Oort's cloud lies far beyond the orbit of
Pluto.
Since then it has travelled in towards the Sun, and today
(2 August) it lies 106,900 miles from the Earth, and is putting on a
show for amateur astronomers living in the southern hemisphere. At the
beginning of August comet Catalina is in the constellation of Tucana,
and will pass through the adjacent constellation of Pavo from 8 -18
August, before moving through the constellation Apus during the end of
the month.
During August the comet is easily within range of a
pair of 10x50 binoculars. It is now shining at Mag +7.0 and will
brighten to Mag +6.5 by 31 August.